Bittersweet will take a summer break starting Sunday

Converting an old gas station into a restaurant, Bittersweet was a major undertaking for Olav and Melissa Peterson, and construction problems have plagued them since the start of the project.

Unexpected issues with the build-out pushed back their already-delayed opening until the very last day of 2010. And now the need for more repairs will force the eatery to take a short break next week.

"The grease trap was installed wrong," Olav explains. To fix it, a crew will have to shut off the water for a few days, which will make it impossible to keep the restaurant open. So the Petersons are closing on Sunday for ten days -- days Olav chose because he expected the place to be slow over the July 4th holiday, anyway.

When Bittersweet is up and running again, though, Olav plans to make some tweaks to his summer menu, rolling more produce from the garden outside the restaurant onto the board.

Bittersweet will be closed from July 3 until July 12.

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Laura Shunk was Westword's restaurant critic from 2010 to 2012; she's also been food editor at the Village Voice and a dining columnist in Beijing. Her toughest assignment had her drinking ten martinis and eating ten Caesar salads over the course of 48 hours. She still drinks martinis, but remains lukewarm on Caesar salads.

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